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Boy Scout Gives Back to Strangers in Vilonia

This story by Macy Jenkins and THV11 highlights what it means to be a Boy Scout.

When Keylin Vines, of El Dorado, heard about April’s tornado, he had a different reaction than most. At just 12 years old, he took it upon himself to raise money for strangers—people he’d never met, but still considers them to be brothers.

“When I heard, it kind of made me upset, and I really needed to help these kids,” Vines said, knowing he had to do something. He raised $1,600 dollars. His mother, Tonya Vines, said it was all her son’s idea, and she couldn’t be more proud of her boy.

“I was never supposed to have kids, and I used to just pray that if God would just give me one- I would be happy,” Vines said. “And I knew when I had him he would be a special kid.”

Keylin asked the Boy Scout office in Little Rock if there was a fellow Boy Scout who needed his help.

“I really wanted to do this,” Vines said. “Every Boy Scout is a good friend to me.”
And, that’s when he learned about Scott Berrier, an Air Force man and a scout master who lives in Vilonia. He lost his home in the storm. He and his two boys now live in a trailer. Keylin told his mother he wanted to make sure some of the money he raised at the McDonald’s in Junction went to the Berrier family. They met for the first time on Friday just hours after Berrier learned what Vines had done.

“With everything going on, knowing that there are still scouts out there that are helping it’s pretty cool,” Berrier said. “That right there is the epitome of Boy Scouts.”

“He’s definitely not your typical 12-year-old, but he has a heart for other people and that I’m very proud of,” Tonya Vines said.

Berrier surprised Keylin and invited him to attend Boy Scout camp with his troop in Damascus this summer – free of charge.